Bille Network – The Network for Life-Long Learning in Hamburg East

„Learning Region“ at the River Bille

Sixty partners, four districts, one common goal: Initiated by Arbeit und Leben Hamburg more than 60 highly motivated organisations from Billstedt, Horn, Hamm and Rothenburgsort co-operate in this Bille Network since September 2002, in order to make the four districts along the Bille become a “Learning Region”. Further partners are always welcome.

The Bille Network

• wants to develop a culture of learning in this region that meets the interests and demands of the people.
• has established itself as an agency for building up contacts and for the opening of prevailing structures in the education area and brings together schools, social institutions, companies, manpower services commissions, culture centres, initiatives and associations.
• initiates and supports innovative education projects in the region and co-operates with its partners in numerous plans and projects, investigates fund chances and develops resources for the region.
• is in contact with political protagonists, authorities and survey institutions and campaigns its activities on conventions und events throughout the country.
• is financed by projects.

To Get in Contact, to Create Co-operation

By its workshops and projects the Bille Network offers an optimally concerted platform for contacts between schools and companies, between authorities, education providers and further protagonists in the region. Here the network partners got a chance to inform each other about their aims, projects, programmes and needs. By meeting in the network, co-operations and common activities result.

The Bille Network is available for external institutions as regional contact in issues of education and organises thematically - and project oriented expert discussions. The network office invites and takes the minutes for the regional meetings and workshops, publishes a periodical email info-service and informs on events in the network and regional education landscape by its newsletter „Billenetzbrief“.

To Ease Transitions, to Safeguard Continuity

From school to working world, - this is a big step in the personal education career, which turns out to be a huge challenge of co-ordination between all institutions und protagonists concerned.

In the framework of the Federal Programme „Prospect Training Qualification“ the Bille Network has established a co-ordination office for the eastern parts of Hamburg. In co-operation with the Hamburg Institute of Vocational Education (HIBB) and the municipal authority Bezirksamt Hamburg-Mitte, structures, measures, and instruments for the improvement and co-ordination of the education- and consulting services for disadvantaged adolescents and a regional transition management are advanced and tested in two model regions (Billstedt/Horn and Wilhelmsburg). The results will be part of a Hamburg- wide corporate strategy to be developed in future.

By the annual release of the „Apprenticeship Directive Hamburg East“ the Bille Network publishes a useful manual for students, companies and multipliers. Each spring the BilleVue GbR together with the network and its partners invites representatives from the field of business and students to the „Vocational Training Fair Hamburg East“.

To Promote Districts, to Plan Education

In Hamburg East education and training have become – in part thanks to the commitment of the Bille Network – cross-cutting issues of the social sphere and the urban district development. The Bille Network plays an intensive part in the ongoing processes of the „Development Sphere Billstedt-Horn“ by its competencies and contacts. In co-operation with the municipal authority Bezirksamt Hamburg-Mitte and active partners from the region it has developed a „communal strategic concept for education and life-long learning “, containing medium-term strategies for the extension of the educational landscape in this region, which will be integrated in a comprehensive development concept.

To Learn Health, to Experience Activity

Within the framework of the initiative „Eat healthier. Exercise more.“ the Bille Network, in co-operation with numerous partners, organises the health project „Bille in Action“. It communicates aspects of healthy nutrition and health promotion by exciting activities for children and families. And it supports multipliers and pedagogues in the development and testing of new measures and methods to learn about health and nutrition.

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